But finessing who gets the Secretary of State’s job is looking to be considerably trickier.

The safe choice for the gig is Mitt Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts and the Republicans’ White House candidate in 2012. It would be a fairly seamless transition from John Kerry. Both are rich, both ooze establishment respectability, and one would assume the global diplomatic community would heave a huge sigh of relief.

There is a snag. Mr Romney called the man who could become his boss a “con man” and a “fake”. But clearly Mr Trump is a big-hearted guy and seems to be ready to forgive and forget.

Others are not, however, not least Kellyanne Conway, Mr Trump’s campaign manager, who said appointing Mr Romney would trigger a backlash from the millions of voters who swept the billionaire into the White House.

Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich have also made a grand tour of TV studios telling Mr Trump not to touch Mr Romney with a bargepole.

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, not a man known for his modesty, is insisting he is the man for the job. Or there is John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the United Nations and another foreign relations hawk.

He is just one of what could prove to be an awkward squad of Republicans over the next couple of years. Watch out for John McCain and Jeff Flake from Arizona, Lindsey Graham from South Carolina and Maine’s Susan Collins.

With the party only having a majority of four in the Senate, the Trump administration could face a series of road blocks.

There is no end in sight to the roller coaster ride of American politics. The best bet is to hang on to the safety rail and hang on very tight

Even without as volatile a President as Mr Trump, the American constitution is designed to place obstacles in the way of any occupant of the Oval Office.

“President Trump is not going to get an easy ride,” explains David King, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

“The American system of government is designed to divide, distribute and fragment power. It is the opposite of a top down corporate culture. Spending has to be approved by Congress and you need a super majority to get legislation through.”

Former Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani is pushing to be the next Secretary of StateCredit:
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

The one salvation for Mr Trump is that some Democrats could occasionally break ranks. Washington insiders believe that a handful might want to appear bipartisan – especially with tough mid-term re-election races in the offing.

A few Democrats have even been touted for jobs in the administration including Tulsi Gabbard, a Bernie Sanders supporting member of the House of Representatives from Hawaii, and Joe Manchin, a senator from West Virginia.

Given how Mr Trump still seems to be capable of handbrake turns on everything from climate change to health care, it is hard to predict how the president-elect will manage Congress – or perhaps how Congress will manage him.

But, Mitt Romney appears to be the favourite for the jobCredit:
Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo

The resumption of hostilities within the Republican ranks is not really a surprise.

“The Republicans never liked Trump, they never thought he would get elected,” explains Steve Jarding, a political consultant and a lecturer at the Kennedy School of Government.

“They can’t control him and they can’t predict him. This is only the tip of the iceberg. The Republicans’ only hope is he gets bored and he lets Congress and Mike Pence run the government.

“The problem with that is he has too big an ego. He is incapable of not being in charge or being the smartest guy in the room.”

So the smart money is suggesting that there is no end in sight to the roller coaster ride of American politics. The best bet is to hang on to the safety rail and hang on very tight.